Paul’s Message by the Spirit’s Power

¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

³I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

⁴My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

⁵so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Spiritual Wisdom

⁶Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

⁷No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God,which He destined for our glory before time began.

⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

⁹Rather, as it is written:“No eye has seen,no ear has heard,no heart has imagined,what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

¹⁰But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit.The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

¹¹For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

¹²We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

¹³And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

¹⁴The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

¹⁵The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.

¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?”But we have the mind of Christ.

A Call to Endurance

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the authorand perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Sons

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

⁵And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord,and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one He loves,and He chastises every son He receives.”

⁷Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

⁸If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

⁹Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?

¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.

¹¹No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peaceto those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.

¹³Make straight paths for your feet,so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

A Call to Holiness

¹⁴Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

¹⁵See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitternesssprings up to cause trouble and defile many.

¹⁶See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

¹⁷For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.

An Unshakable Kingdom

¹⁸For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and thatis burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;

¹⁹to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.

²⁰For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”

²¹The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

²²Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels

²³in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?

²⁶At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.”

²⁷The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

²⁹“For our God is a consuming fire.”

Righteousness through Faith in Christ

¹Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

²Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!

³For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

⁴though I myself could have such confidence.If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

⁶as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

⁷But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.

⁸More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

⁹and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ,the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,

¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on toward the Goal

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.

¹⁶Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.

Citizenship in Heaven

¹⁷Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.

¹⁸For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

²¹who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.

Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart

¹My son, do not forget my teaching,but let your heart keep my commandments;

²for they will add length to your days,years and peace to your life.

³Never let loving devotionor faithfulness leave you;bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Then you will find favor and high regardin the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶in all your ways acknowledge Him,and He will make your paths straight.

⁷Be not wise in your own eyes;fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

⁸This will bring healing to your bodyand refreshmentto your bones.

⁹Honor the LORD with your wealthand with the firstfruits of all your crops;

¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty,and your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,and do not loathe His rebuke;

¹²for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,as does a father the son in whom he delights.

The Blessings of Wisdom

¹³Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,the man who acquires understanding,

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver,and her gain is better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies;nothing you desire compares with her.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;in her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷All her ways are pleasant,and all her paths are peaceful.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

¹⁹The LORD founded the earth by wisdomand established the heavens by understanding.

²⁰By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,and the clouds dripped with dew.

²¹My son, do not lose sight of this:Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

²²They will be life to your souland adornment to your neck.

²³Then you will go on your way in safety,and your foot will not stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid;when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵Do not fear sudden dangeror the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶for the LORD will be your confidenceand will keep your foot from the snare.

²⁷Do not withhold good from the deservingwhen it is within your power to act.

²⁸Do not tell your neighbor,“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.

²⁹Do not devise evil against your neighbor,for he trustfully dwells beside you.

³⁰Do not accuse a man without cause,when he has done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy a violent manor choose any of his ways;

³²for the LORD detests the perverse,but He is a friend to the upright.

³³The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,but He blesses the home of the righteous.

³⁴He mocks the mockers,but gives grace to the humble.

³⁵The wise will inherit honor,but fools are held up to shame.